Forum home› Wildlife gardening
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Greedy Boy

Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
in Wildlife gardening
So he has chosen his harem, we could be in for an interesting if not noisy summer!
«1

Posts

  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    My goodness @pansyface! As you may have gathered pheasants are something of a rarity here. We see plenty of migratory birds, shore birds too, although in our garden we don't have many varieties of wild life, hence the interest and picture.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    We often see pheasants in our Norfolk garden. Next door neighbour feeds them, they look plump, haven't upset my plants - yet.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    @pansyface same here, we can have our very own shoot, they escape from the estate and breed everywhere.   My cat is terrified of them.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Sunday lunch?
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    The nieghbour's cat isn't too keen on them either.  He gives them a wide berth.  I think it is their squawking that frightens the cat, the pheasants are highly strung and a little too big for the cat.  Now pigeons are a different matter - they seem to be more accessible for the cat.
  • Chrissy the gardenerChrissy the gardener Posts: 1,072
    A typical morning on our lawn ——-

  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    My goodness @Chrissy the gardener Do you have a pheasant farm nearby?
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Many moons ago before we turned former pasture into out veggie garden in Belgium I came home from French class to find that Sunshine - a particularly grumpy rescue with de-clawed paws - had succeeded in herding 9 female pheasants into a tight circle in the long grass.   

    They were all hopping up and down on the spot while she circled.   I had to go out and clap my hands to remind them they had wings and could fly.   Stupid birds really.  
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Not sure if this is common knowledge but Chris Packham's Wild Justice group have launched legal action against DEFRA for their inaction in regulating the numbers of farmed gamebirds released into the countryside each year. https://wildjustice.org.uk/general/wild-justice-seeks-judicial-review-of-gamebird-releases/
    There appears to be no records kept of the number of birds released and no control on how many can be released or where. Estimates of 60 million birds seem fairly accurate and you can imagine the impact that has on wildlife, especially near protected areas. This includes creating artificially high predator and scavenger numbers as well as reducing numbers of insects and plants. Wildlife lovers feed them too thinking they're doing a good thing (which they are in a way) but the increased demand for bird seed abviously has effects on farmland and wildlife elsewhere.
    If nothing else it's another case of the rich treating the countryside like they own the place (which of course they largely do...).


    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • Chrissy the gardenerChrissy the gardener Posts: 1,072
    Hi Guernsey Donkey Powderham castle is just across from us and I think they have shoots there.
Sign In or Register to comment.